Changing the subject - an integrative/complementary diagnostic challenge

[Guest guest]

The recent threads on " Shaoyang pivot " and " My Background " I found somewhat

disheartening. Actually potentially a useful topic, if people were up to a

reflective discussion at the level of, say, psychological meta-analysis.

Notable, admittedly also (perhaps better, mainly observed) in my own

reactions and participation, were levels of attachment, difficulty in

letting go of positions, arguments, perceived slights, misunderstandings,

etc. (As seen with the carry-on of the " My Background " thread even after

Attilio attempted to call a truce.)

 

So, getting back to a theme which appeared tangentially a month or two ago.

Namely using the theory and insights from CM (TCM, CCM -- whatever your own

favorite flavor) to help elucidate medical problems as seen from the

perspective of WM/scientific medicine.

 

I ran across a fascinating article in today's (Tu.21.Sept.2004) New York

Times, Science section, titled " Connecting the Symptoms, From Skin to

Joints to Abdomen " , which I have taken the liberty of downloading from the

internet and posting as a file to this forum (in both MS-Word-97 and

flat-text formats). It's about a syndrome called " Henoch-Schonlein

purpura " , and a number of curious aspects in its presentation. I.e.

(abstracted from the article) abdominal pain; excess red blood cells but no

white in urine; rash on the legs; " strange " small lesions on the ankles;

intestinal petechiae; joint problems; sometimes follows an infection,

usually a sore throat or a cold; seems to be an autoimmune problem, etc.

 

The challenge, if I may, would be to find interpretations of the phenomena

surrounding " Henoch-Schonlein purpura " which can be " explained " , or at

least expressed in some (any) aspect of Chinese traditional theory. Maybe

transmutations in ShangHanLun theory. Maybe gongxiapai (attacking and

purging school). Or Luo-vessel wei-ying disharmony invading the divergent

channel system (auto-immune). Or BiWeiLun/BuTuPai….To name a few which

immediately spring to mind.

 

Maybe we could explore alternative scenarios here (and as coexisting

viewpoints, without rancor).

 

I will probably offer some thoughts, after some study and contemplation.

 

 

 

PS. the conclusion of the article - the doctors were happy with a confirmed

diagnosis: Henoch-Schonlein purpura, but " a disease that can still puzzle

as it challenges us to connect the spots " - reminds me of a quotation I

used to write on the board at some point in the course of teaching medical

terminology classes:

 

" Just because your doctor has a name for your condition, doesn't mean he

knows what it is! "

(source unknown)

[Guest guest]

I've posted the NYT article under the file " Case Studies " on the

Group site, in two formats:

 

20040921_NYT_Connect_Sx.doc -- MS Word 97 (from Windows/NT OS)

 

20040921_NYT_Connect_Sx.txt -- in " flat-text " format, readable in any

word-processor.